NSW Farmers have welcomed the announcement by Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce that there will be no system of mandatory electronic identification ear tags for sheep and goats in Australia.
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NSW Farmers has been in constant dialogue with Minister Joyce and NSW Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodkinson on this important issue.
The association has successfully lobbied for enhancing the current mob based system as the most economical and practical measure to improve livestock traceability.
NSW Farmers’ President Fiona Simson commended Minister Joyce and the other state agriculture ministers for their decision.
“It is immensely pleasing to see Australia’s agriculture ministers in joint agreement on an outcome that will improve traceability while ensuring that there is no further regulation or cost imposed on livestock producers,” she said.
NSW Farmers is strongly supportive of any appropriate measures that are able to improve the traceability and biosecurity outcomes for Australia’s livestock.
However, in the case of electronic ear tags, the impracticalities of implementing such a system would have far outweighed any perceived benefits for NSW Farmers’ members and livestock producers across Australia.
The existing mob based system in NSW has been clearly shown to exceed the National Livestock Traceability Performance standards (NLTPS).